In a major jolt to as many as 16,000 employees of Jet Airways, four top officials of the now-bankrupt airline carrier resigned on Tuesday. The officials include the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vinay Dubey, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Chief Company Secretary.

On April 17 of this year, the 25-year-old airline halted its operations in the face of severe loss owing of non-payment of dues to lenders, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and public sector banks. Five weeks have passed since the employees of the airline filed a police complaint against Jet Airways and its former promoter Naresh Goyal over non-payment of their salaries. However, no first information report (FIR) has been lodged in this regard as of yet.

#JetAirwaysCrisis worsens.
4 top executives resign in one day. And, 5 weeks after the Jet employees' complaint, no FIR has been filed.

Earlier this month, the first round of bidding for the airline ended with UAE-based Etihad Airlines emerging as the sole bidder. The State Bank of India (SBI), one of the major creditors is still figuring out whether Jet can be handed over to Etihad given its financial condition and the UAE-based airline's demand of not raising its stake in Jet beyond the existing 24 per cent.

A new twist emerged in this case when a Mumbai-based company, Darwin Group of Industries, claimed that it is prepared to pay the Rs 14,000 crore required to save Jet Airways and pay all their dues. CEO of Darwin Group, Rahul Ganpule told Mirror Now, "We are looking forward to instigating almost all who have gone up, at least to the top management. Let's be positive, if that is done, we would also pay their dues." However, a ground check of the Darwin Group's registered office in Andheri (East) has revealed that the group does not even have the proper infrastructure in place.

Sharing his views on the matter, former Director of Kingfisher Airlines, Parvez Damania says, "The infrastructure of Darwin Group seems completely vague and they would not have the capacity of turning around an airline. Things have gone from bad to worse. I do not think there is anything left to buy."

Editorial: The blame lies solely on the plate of SBI. Why did you wait for so long? What guarantees did you take when you handed out loans? Who is going to buy a big bundle of loans? Who's shielding Naresh Goyal? How did such a successful airline go bust overnight?@fayedsouzapic.twitter.com/dddSPS7Qpw

Adding to Damania's line of argument, aviation expert Harsh Vardhan says that reviving Jet Airways is an impossible task. "The most surprising thing is how the banks have allowed Naresh Goyal to go scot-free," he adds. Meanwhile, senior journalist Vivek Kaul says that the only thing that is left of Jet Airways is its brand value, and if someone is ready to buy it only for its brand value, then we might see a completely new Jet Airways.

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Jet Airways crisis worsens with mysterious buyer entering bidding fray even as 16,000 employees seek answersDescription:Five weeks have passed since Jet employees filed a complaint against Jet Airways and its former promoter Naresh Goyal over non-payment of dues. However, no FIR has been lodged as of yet.Times Now